October is one of my favorite months of the year. The weather finally starts to cool down, Friday nights are spent under the lights, weekends are filled with sports and fall activities, and it's time to pull out the Halloween decorations while somehow already thinking about the holidays ahead.

October is also a big month in our house! We’ll be celebrating two birthdays — Hayley turns 15 and Bryson officially becomes a teenager at 13! It’s hard for me to believe. Between high school, middle school, volleyball, basketball and everything else that keeps us running, their birthdays are another reminder of just how quickly these years are going by.

This October issue also holds something especially meaningful to me.

Back in July, I used these pages to share SEM Food Pantry's need for a new roof. My hope was simple: give an incredible local organization a platform, tell their story and help more people in our community understand what they needed.

A Coldstream neighbor read the story and was moved to take action. Our Preferred Partners stepped up to help. And at SEM's Raise the Roof celebration, I had the opportunity to stand alongside my kids and see firsthand that something I created to connect a neighborhood had helped make a very real difference.

You'll find the full recap and photos from that incredible evening inside this issue. It's a story I'll never forget and one that reminded me exactly why I started Stroll Coldstream.

But that's not the only story worth telling this month.

You'll also meet an impressive up-and-coming young entrepreneur who is already turning his passion and ideas into something of his own. And Kerri Wolfangel shares more about the Anderson Township Historical Society, the importance of preserving the history of the community we call home and how neighbors can get involved.

Different generations. Different passions. Different ways of making an impact.

And we're already looking ahead to one of my favorite times of year! I'm gathering content for our Thanksgiving and Christmas issues, and I want those pages filled with your traditions. Tell me what you're thankful for, share the dish that has to be on your Thanksgiving table, and start digging through photos of last year's Christmas trees, decorations and family celebrations. I want to see them!

As always, thank you to our residents who trust me with their stories and to our Preferred Partners who make Stroll Coldstream possible every single month. Please continue supporting the businesses that support our neighborhood.

Happy October, Coldstream! Here's to birthdays, Friday night lights, cooler weather, colorful leaves, meaningful connections—and never underestimating what can happen when the right story reaches the right person. ❤️🍂

Marci Loehner
Publisher, Stroll Coldstream